History has been made, once again, in Blowing Rock through the unveiling of the Elliott Daingerfield statue. The historical event captured the heart of art among North Carolinians through honoring the life of one of the Greatest North Carolinian Artists, Elliott Daingerfield (1859-1932). This event took place on Saturday, September 9, at 5:00 p.m, at the Edgewood Cottage in Blowing Rock.

Brenda Councill, a renowned muralist, did the great work of the statue of artist Elliott Daingerfield. The statue is bronze and depicts a young Daingerfield painting the Edgewood Cottage. As soon as the statue was unveiled, the audience cooed in awe and appreciation.

Rita White, President of the Blowing Rock Historical Society, acknowledged the contributions of the executive board and the entire membership of The Blowing Rock Historical Society. Through their continued support, preservation of the the town’s history has been made possible. White mentioned Edgewood Cottage and the American Legion Building as two projects that they have worked on, amongst others.

Joseph D. Dulaney, grandson of Elliot Daingerfield, said, “On behalf of the Daingerfield family, I want to express our sincere and heartfelt appreciation to the officers and members of the Blowing Rock Historical Society. We also wish to thank Brenda Mauney Councill whose power and artistic ability created this work.”

Looking around, Dulaney said,“These majestic mountains would become a subject of many of his paintings. After the fog lifts, his heart and spirit was touched, as are many of ours. He fell in love with the beauty and spirituality that the mountains provided. His work acquainted a lot of people with the natural grandeur of the North Carolina Mountains.”

“Daingerfield believed that spiritual vision, imagination, may be passed on to the observer. He mentioned that the office of the artist is to express the beautiful,” said Dulaney when quoting his grandfather.

Daingerfield lived in the Edgewood Cottage and the Westglow Mansion. He played a vital role in the early history of Blowing Rock. The event occured on behalf of the Blowing Rock Historical Society. During the event, Blowing Rock’s history was told, as well as North Carolina’s early role in the arts.

Dr. Lawrence J. Wheeler (director and CEO of NC Museum of Art) was the featured speaker. He encouraged audience members to explore the arts found in Blowing Rock, as well as The Blowing Rock Brahms Art and History Museum. “The arts is one of the core values of the people of North Carolina. Arts can not only raise the spirit, they can enrich the mind,” said Wheeler.

Daingerfield studied under great masters, and became a great scholar, artist, and master. “Every honor that can be received as an artist was given to Elliott Daingerfield,” Wheeler stated.

“A community working hard and working together can make anything happen. We see this over and over again when it comes to North Carolina and the Arts,” said Wheeler when discussing bringing the statue to Blowing Rock.

“In 1947, the General Assembly of the State of NC came together in Raleigh to make budgets and laws. On April 5, 1947 the elected group of officials voted to appropriate $1 million tax dollars for art. That was the first time that had ever happened in the country. It lead to the birth of the NC Museum of Art,” said Wheeler.

The North Carolina Museum of Art is owned equally by all North Carolinians. Therefore, the museum will lend work to various locations within the state, in order to allow North Carolinians to collectively share and view the artwork.